Space flight games have a rich history as one of the oldest genres in gaming with each passing decade advancing the genre with new features and innovations. The genre is host to iconic titles such as Frontier’s Elite, the X-Wing and TIE Fighter games, the X series of space sims, Escape Velocity, Freelancer, and countless other games founded upon the ideas introduced by these classics. Certain features have become genre staples such as full 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) flight, power systems management, and the ability to take on various roles from space trucker to bounty hunter. For Starfield to truly shine, the game should look at what has worked best in previous genre entries.
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Starfield Should Allow for Immersive Depth in its Piloting Controls
Arguably the most important consideration for a game with spaceship piloting is the control scheme. If controls are overly simplified and arcadey, the experience feels cheap and lacks the crucial immersion factor. Players generally choose these games because they want to feel like they are actually piloting a spaceship rather than playing a game that happens to feature a spaceship. That doesn’t mean the controls need to be terribly complex, as even particularly deep space sims like Elite Dangerous can be played entirely with an Xbox controller. Compatibility with peripheral devices like HOTAS (Hands On Throttle-And-Stick) controllers will still be important for gamers who have invested in immersive piloting experiences.
The ability to control a ship’s various thrusters is critical for a convincing spaceflight model. In gameplay footage, directional thrusters can be seen firing off around ships in Starfield, which is evidence that maneuvers like strafing may be possible. The lack of directional thrusters is very apparent when flying ships in No Man’s Sky or Star Wars: Squadrons, where ships behave more like airplanes rather than true spaceships in zero gravity. A mildly advanced feature in games like X4 and Elite Dangerous is the ability to turn off Flight Assist, which allows for advanced maneuvers such as flying in one direction while facing another. Features like this expand on gameplay possibilities and raise the skill ceiling for pilots, enriching the overall experience.
Classic Space Pilot Roles Work Well in Starfield’s RPG Setting
Many of the most successful space games are also roleplaying games where players can earn an income and make progress by taking on some common roles such as goods traders, bounty hunters, pirates, miners, freight haulers, and smugglers. Each of these activities comes with a particular strategy and ship configuration that works best, allowing players to engage in their preferred playstyle. Starfield is a Bethesda RPG at its core and Bethesda games are known for giving players the freedom to pursue a variety of playstyles. By looking at how other space games implement these roles, Starfield can become enjoyable to a larger audience.
Bethesda games often feature some form of crime and punishment system; for example, criminal activity in Skyrim leads to the player accruing a bounty. Bounty collectors may be sent to apprehend the player while guards will attempt to arrest the criminal player and place them in jail. Space games like Elite Dangerous also feature a criminal justice system. Players can engage in piracy, smuggle illegal cargo, or pursue wanted pilots to earn the bounty. For Starfield to meet the expectations of both previous Bethesda titles and other space games, players should be able to both engage in criminal activity and assist in law enforcement. Even No Man’s Sky has recently expanded on its criminal side with its Outlaws update.
Other less exciting roles like traders and freight haulers are just as important to fans of space games. One of the most popular activities in Elite Dangerous is “space trucking,” with players putting on some music or a podcast and earning some money by shipping cargo from one station to another. This mundane and repetitive task is surprisingly relaxing and is a major reason why American and Euro Truck Simulator games are so appealing. Starfield gameplay footage also showed the player mining resources with a handheld tool, so it would make sense for players to have the chance to engage in space mining as well.
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Starfield’s Ships Are a Great Opportunity For Player Decision Making
Much like how RPG characters fall into class archetypes such as tanky warriors, agile rogues, or mages who cast spells from afar, ships in space games also fill a variety of roles during combat. Fast and lightly armored interceptors, slow but devastating gunboats, and multipurpose fighters all require different skills and perform differently enough from one another that players quickly discover their favorite playstyle. Starfield’s modular ship construction will hopefully translate into varied flying experiences for players rather than components being simple statistical upgrades or shallow cosmetic changes.
A common element in many space games is power management, a fairly simple system where power can be distributed between engines, shields, and weapons. This system has far-reaching implications for the way the game is played and gives players a chance to exercise some more control over their ship. Being able to decide if shield strength, weapon damage, or maneuverability should be the priority moment to moment adds a much-needed layer of depth in Star Wars: Squadrons, Elite Dangerous, and other titles. Some form of power management in Starfield can lead to more important decision-making in space.
A strong variety of equipment will also be important for making ships in Starfield a meaningful time investment. Deciding on which weapons to equip based on their strengths and weaknesses is just as important as the ship itself in many space games, so a healthy arsenal to choose from will help with Starfield’s customizable ships. Special equipment could also be analogous to RPG special abilities, such as shield boosters or radar scramblers. Just like how a Skyrim player might opt for heavy armor and a large axe over light armor and magic, a Starfield player will hopefully have meaningful choices to make when it comes to their ship.
Starfield is scheduled to launch in 2023 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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